How To Cook Pearl Barley

One of the oldest and most versatile grains has to be barley. It has been used by nomadic tribes as a staple food even before it was taken up by the beer industry for beer brewing purposes. Yes, barley is one of the main ingredients in the making of beer. Since barley is adaptable to a host of uses, the things that you can do with this grain are almost limitless. Barley as a grain is highly nutritious as it has been found to contain fiber, complex carbohydrates, proteins and numerous vitamins. It has an unique flavor which is a great advantage when it comes to making of desserts, curries, casseroles, stews, soups and salads. Another advantage of this grain is its low fat levels as well as nil cholesterol levels.

Barley comes in a lot of forms with pearl barley being one of the most common barley forms.The outer hull in pearl barley is usually removed. Despite the pearl barley being the most common type, it is further split into two other barley sub groups. One type of the pearl barley is that which tends to cook pretty fast while the other type is the standard pearl barley type. Pearl barley is suited in the making of some hot cereals like is the case with oatmeal as well as baked foods. The following recipe outlines how to cook barley pearls. The recipe is extremely easy to come up with and a good nutritious alternative to those who usually have fatty breakfasts that are low in nutrition. You will need only 3 ingredients to make the pearl barley porridge.

These ingredients are a cup of the regular pearl barley, 3 cups of stock or water and ? teaspoon of salt in case you using water. To start us off, pearl barley does not require any soaking like is the case with grains such as the red kidney beans. All that is required of you is the sorting out of dirt and stones that may be present in the pearl barley. Get a saucepan that is of medium proportions and place it over high heat. Into the pan add the ? teaspoon of salt to the pan if you plan on using water as well as 3 cups of stock and water plus the cup of pearl barley. Bring all the ingredients to the boil and then reduce the heat once they begin boiling. Cover up the pan and continue simmering in low heat for 45 or so minutes until most of the liquid has vanished. By now, the pearly barley should be tender and ready to eat. Using a fork, fluff off grains from the barley.

In case you want to learn how to cook barley, some other methods could interest you. The best of these recipes is the soothing barley & chicken soup. This particular dish happens to be the real meaning of comforting home cooked food. This we will tackle in some other article or forum as it is rather long. Bon app?tit.